IMPORTANT WESTERN BROWSE PLANTS 139 
DOGBANE FAMILY (APOCYNACEAE) © 
LONGTUBES (MACROSIPHONIA SPP.) 
Three species of longtube occur in the region from west Texas to 
southern Arizona. 
Arizona longtube (J/. brachysiphon) grows in dry, sandy, grav- 
elly, or rocky sites, frequently in association with mesquite, at eleva- 
tions of 2,500 to 5,000 feet, often locally abundant in small dense 
patches. It is reported as being grazed slightly by cattle and horses 
in late fall and early spring but otherwise not relished. The showy, 
very fragrant flowers are prized by Mexicans as a medicine. These 
are very handsome plants when in full bloom, and they are prolific 
seeders. As members of a family generally recognized as more or 
less poisonous they are probably not desirable browse. 
PHLOX FAMILY (POLEMONIACEAE) 
This large family is predominantly herbaceous. One genus only 
needs comment here. 
LEPTODACTYLON SPP. 
The shrubby or semishrubby genus Leptodactylon, included by 
some authors in Gila, embraces about seven or eight species of 
western undershrubs. They have digitately parted (appearing 
whorled in some species), often pungent or prickly spiny leaves, and 
a characteristic musky odor that is agreeable to many people. 
Nuttall gilia (Leptodactylon nuttalli, syn. Gilia nuttalli%), per- 
haps the most widely distributed, common, and best known of these 
plants, is a showy plant when in full bloom. It occurs in all of the 
11 far Western States except possibly Montana. Nuttall gilia, lo- 
cally known as stickerbush, stinkweed, white gilia, white mountain- 
weed, and whorl phlox, is sometimes woody throughout, but usually 
is semiherbaceous, with a woody base and woody, elongated, often 
thickened taproot; it occurs in meadows, along streams, and on 
sandy rocky slopes and ridges at 3,500 to 10,500 feet; its forage 
value is low, often worthless. 
Prickly gilia (Z. pungens, syns. L. brevifolium and Gilia pungens), 
locally known as false phlox and prickly sage, is low and sprawling 
but woody throughout and is also very common and widely dis- 
tributed, ranging, largely in sagebrush and juniper types, from 
Montana to Washington, California, and Colorado. It is ordinarily 
accounted worthless, but, strange to say in view of its small awllike 
leaves, in certain lava-bed regions (such as parts of northeastern 
California and southwestern Idaho) it is reliably reported to be 
fairly good horse, cattle, and sheep feed at least in the spring while 
the leaves are relatively succulent. 
WATERLEAF FAMILY (HYDROPHYLLACEAE) 
YERBAS SANTAS (ERIODICTYON SPP.) 
Eriodictyon, frequently known as mountain balm, consisting of 
six or seven species, is a genus confined to the region from southern 
Oregon to Lower California, Arizona, and southern Utah; only two 
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